TOP 5 MAKEUP BRUSHES: Real Techniques, Elf, Zoeva, + More

Hey babes!

Today I've got my top 5 makeup brushes to show you. I chose them based on how often I use them and generally how much I get out of them! I hope you can spot some of your favourites here too.

e.l.f. Studio Small Angled Brush*, NZ $4.25 - e.l.f. has a great range of well priced brushes, and this is definitely one of my favourites. I get a lot of use out of it because I like to multipurpose it - it's great for gel eyeliner, filling in eyebrows, carving eyebrows, cleaning up around my lips, and even applying shadow to my lower lashline. I have about 5 of these (and who wouldn't! They're so damn cheap!) so whenever I need a clean one, there's always one ready to go. This brush has synthetic bristles, and I prefer it that way since I tend to use it for wetter products.

Hakuhodo J5523, US $19 - My holy grail eyeshadow blending brush! I love using this to take colours into the the crease and blending them out. Hakuhodo brushes are worth every cent in my opinion - they are carefully hand crafted in Japan, rather than cut into shape by machinery. This creates a superior brush as the natural taper of the hair isn't lost due to trimming. Some very similar brushes are the Zoeva 227* and MAC 217, but the Hakuhodo is definitely the highest quality of the three. It is made of goat hair, which I prefer for blending powders. However, Zoeva does make a version with taklon bristles* for those who would prefer synthetic.

Eleanor Dorn #19 Pointed Face Brush, NZ $18 - I love using this brush for my highlighter! I have two in my rotation, so just in case one is dirty I've got one to fall back on. It's also a great size and shape for setting my undereyes with banana powder! I'm pretty sure the bristles are synthetic.

Zoeva 234 Luxe Smokey Shader Brush*, NZ $19 - Another great brush that I use for more than one purpose. The main one would be to apply highlighter to the inner corner of my eye and under my brow, but it's also great for packing eyeshadow onto the lid and applying/blending eyeshadow to my lower lashline. This brush is a blend of natural and synthetic bristles - for those uncomfortable with natural bristles, Zoeva also has a taklon version here.

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush*, NZ $25.48 (as a set) - I would have to say that this brush plus the J5523 changed my eyeshadow game FOREVER. The sole purpose that I use this brush for is to blend out eyeshadow. After any eye look is done, I use this without any product on it to soften any edges. Not that I'm left with harsh edges per se, but doing this as a last step makes any eyeshadow look 1000% better. Like all RT brushes, this has synthetic bristles. I am kind of annoyed that this is only available in the RT Eye Starter Set because I literally use nothing else out of the set. However, some brushes that I've noticed look quite similar are the EcoTools Correcting Concealer Brush* and the Zoeva 142 Concealer and Buffer Brush. If anyone can say for sure how similar these are, I'd love to know!

Do you use any of these brushes? Let me know if you have any brush recommendations, too!